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Killer was depressed, court told

A PSYCHIATRIST at the trial of a man who killed his wife told the court the defendant was suffering from severe depression at the time.

Dr Seena Falzer told Manchester Crown Court Jahingar Nazar showed all the symptoms of severe depression in the months leading up to the attack at the couple’s Bamford Street, Chadderton home.

Nazar stabbed his wife Farkhanda, known to friends as Jabeen, 19 times in the neck last April.

Dr Falzer said the defendant had a “clear cut” depressive illness which could have affected his ability to exercise self control.

But John Jones QC, prosecuting, said Nazar’s behaviour following the attack showed clear thinking about its consequences. Nazar had washed the blood off himself, covered Jabeen’s body with a duvet and locked the bedroom door before visiting a petrol station to fill up his car.

The court was shown footage of Nazar visiting a cash point at Asda. When a man approached the next machine Nazar hid his hand, which was wrapped in a sock, in his pocket. Two minutes later he disposed of the bloodied sock down a drain.

Nazar later contacted his brother in Pakistan and his two sisters, one of whom came from Manchester to take him to Bradford.

Mr Jones said these events were consistent with a man planning his escape and, coupled with his ability to “concoct such an elaborate lie”, showed he was aware of the consequences of his actions.

Nazar pleads guilty to manslaughter but not guilty to murder on the ground of diminished responsibility.